Town of Naicam Receives Canada 150 Grant to Upgrade SportsPlex

Naicam, SK – Dec 29, 2016 – The Town of Naicam is embarking on a major upgrade to the Viking SportsPlex, in order to provide improved accessibility, safety and functionality of the community facility. The Government of Canada announced on December 21st, 2016 that the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program (CIP) is investing $4,390,906 in 62 recreational and cultural projects across Saskatchewan. The Viking SportsPlex in Naicam is among the 62 projects approved under this grant.

The Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program will provide 50% of costs amounting to $42,250 for the project, while the Town of Naicam will provide the remainder of the funding, gathered from a variety of sources. Upgrades currently approved under the grant include new rubber flooring, taller safety glass in the rink, a kids play area, a wheelchair lift to the bleacher area and some landscaping at the curling rink. The project is scheduled to be completed by September 30, 2017, with large portions of the project finished as early as March 31, 2017.

“It is important for us to be able to provide the residents of Naicam and our visiting spectators, players and groups with an accessible, safe and enjoyable place to gather,” says Mayor Rodger Hayward. “These upgrades will not only make our facility safer and more accessible, but will improve functionality and usability for years to come. Without grants like this, these sorts of major upgrades just wouldn’t be possible for a small communities like ours.”

The Town of Naicam is a community of approximately 700 people in East Central Saskatchewan approximately 224 kilometers north of Regina and 50 km south of Melfort. From youth skating and curling to adult hockey, and from bonspiels and tournaments to community fundraisers, the Viking Sports Plex is the hub of the Naicam and District recreational community. All of the sports teams in the town are called the “Naicam Vikings” in honour of the original Norwegian and Scandanavian people that settled the area. The facility also houses a concession booth, mezzanine, three sheet curling rink, and virtual golf simulator.